As far as sports legends in Philadelphia go, former Eagles All-Pro Brian Dawkins stands near the top of the list. Early this month, he turned his attention towards inspiring one of the City of Brotherly Love's other teams, the Philadelphia Phillies.
Dawkins spoke with a group of the Phillies' top prospects at Citizens Bank Park. His visit was part of the annual Prospect Education Program.
Dawkins centered a large part of his presentation around how much sports means in the city. He also explained to the players why the love from the Philly faithful sometimes turns into boos.
"This place is a hardworking place," said Dawkins. "These people work hard for what they have. They do. So, when I say they love you, they love you hard both ways. You will have a bunch of passionate individuals, that actually love you, that are going to boo you. They are. If I gave up a play in that Linc over there, or in the Vet, I expected to get boo'ed. So, I took that upon myself to say, 'you know what, not only am I going to go out and give everything that I have ... I'm going to give it because I know that they are feeling this way about things."
Dawkins played 13 of his 16 seasons in the NFL with the Eagles and his #20 jersey is retired by the team. Overall, he was a nine-time Pro Bowler and five-time first-team All-Pro.
Dawkins was one of the most feared defenders throughout his career. He made an appearance In Super Bowl XXXIX with Philadelphia and won Super Bowl LII with the Denver Broncos.
In retirement, Dawkins has had a number of roles, serving as a broadcaster for ESPN and as the Eagles executive of football operations for player development. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year.
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